This disclosure relates to an automated door for a vehicle, and more particularly, for a vehicle passenger door.
Increasingly power doors are being provided on vehicles, such as a rear liftgate to a cargo area of a sport utility vehicle or a sliding door on one or both sides of a minivan. A power drive module moves the liftgate or sliding door between opened and closed positions in response to an input from an electrical switch.
Typically, a passenger door is manually opened or closed by pushing or pulling on the door without the benefit of a power drive module. Passenger doors are conventionally held opened and closed using a door check. A passenger pushes a button or engages a handle which unlatches the door from the door pillar. The door check is interconnected between the frame and the door. The door check typically includes detents that define discrete door open positions, which hold the door open.
Power door modules have been applied to passenger doors, but these modules are rather complex. For example, a motor is used to selectively drive gears through a clutch, which opens and closes to couple and decouple the motor.